AUSTIN – None of the GOP presidential front-runners has generated much support among Republican Party loyalists in Texas, whose early favorite to head the ticket in 2008 hasn't even announced – Newt Gingrich.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have few enthusiastic backers on the State Republican Executive Committee.

Support for Arizona Sen. John McCain in the party's governing body appears near zero, according to The Dallas Morning News canvass of committee members.

"I can definitely tell you that if John McCain were the candidate, I probably wouldn't vote," said Ellen Guthrie, a committee member from Tyler.

She and others cited Mr. McCain's push of campaign finance legislation and his past conflicts with Christian conservatives.

By contrast, Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker who has yet to say whether he'll run for president, is mentioned more often among the party faithful who have a preference than any other potential nominee.

"He's a philosophical champion and communicator," said Clint Moore of Spring. "If I had money in Vegas, I'd put it on Gingrich right now."

The 62-member executive committee, elected from senatorial districts, tends to be more conservative than Republican voters as a whole. But members carry influence in George W. Bush's home state, especially in a fast-moving political season in which Texas may move up its primary.

The results not only suggest that Republicans are divided or even uninterested in the current field, but also that party insiders are trying to balance the desire for philosophical purity with the need to pick the most electable candidate against Democrats.

"I'm a little distressed that we don't have a Reagan and can say, 'That's my man,' " said Benona Love of Amarillo. "Instead, we have a number of people who all have strong qualities but with feet of clay, unfortunately, like all men do."

The News reached more than 70 percent of the GOP committee. Half had no preference, saying it was too early. Of those with an opinion, Mr. Gingrich was the favorite of 29 percent.

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, an ardent advocate of immigration enforcement, and Mr. Giuliani were preferred by 19 percent. But members cited shortcomings with both – Mr. Tancredo's low name identification and Mr. Giuliani's support of abortion rights and gun control.

The Texas GOP has scheduled a presidential straw poll Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in Fort Worth, and many of the White House hopefuls are expected. Meanwhile, Texas is considering switching its primary to Feb. 5 from March, making the delegate-rich state more important in the nomination process.

Mr. Giuliani, who today headlines a fundraiser in Collin County and a rally at American Airlines Center's outdoor plaza, leads national polls of GOP voters. Backers tout his record as mayor and his response to the 9/11 attacks.

"We need a strong candidate with good name ID and a good record and someone who's well liked and can garner some votes from independent Americans. And I think Giuliani is that guy," said John Fowler, a GOP committee member from Dallas.

But others question whether religious conservatives would embrace a candidate such as Mr. Giuliani because of some of his moderate views on social issues.

"I'm certainly not going to support somebody that I don't think is going to hold spending down and continue to fight the battle for the Reagan social conservative agenda," said Jane Cansino of Lubbock. "So it's not just about pragmatism, it's about principle."

Ms. Cansino said she is not surprised Mr. Gingrich tops the list, but added: "My two favorites are dark horses: Tancredo and [California Rep.] Duncan Hunter. Whether they can get enough traction to get into the race, I don't know."

Mr. Gingrich recently admitted his past marital infidelity on James Dobson's Christian radio show, saying his affair with a House aide was at the same time he was attacking Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Mr. Moore of Spring, who said he'd like to see a Gingrich-Jeb Bush ticket in 2008, called the affair "a minor tarnish" on an otherwise strong conservative resume.

"If he didn't have the extramarital affair, he'd be as perfect as Reagan in every other way," Mr. Moore said.

In his appeal to social conservatives, a key part of the GOP base, Mr. Romney has abandoned his past support for abortion rights. The former Massachusetts governor is backed by 14 percent of the Texas party insiders who were contacted and expressed a preference.

"He lives his values, not just talks about them," said Tim Hoy of Dallas.

"Many of my fellow Christians may have doubts about him being a Mormon. But if you look at the predominantly Mormon state of Utah, they have a young average population age and yet a low rate of crime, out-of-wedlock births and a high rate of intact families," he said. "If Mormanism is a cult, with those characteristics, I would suggest that's a cult we could use more of."

Still, some members said they were suspicious.

"When I look at Mitt, to me he looks plastic. I'm afraid he's just mouthing the words," said Russ Duerstine of San Angelo. "He says a lot of the right things, but I'm not sure he's for real."

With the Texas primary nearly a year away and no consensus candidate yet emerging from the pack, would-be nominees have been making stops in the state, mostly to raise money.

The GOP straw poll should give the party's rank and file an up-close look at the candidates, say executive committee members.

Until then, said Clyde Siebman of Sherman, "We have a cakewalk. The music is still playing and people are still walking in the circle."